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Program News: Week of September 23rd

October Break Field Trip to Cape Cod - Reserve YOUR spot by Sept. 27!! Mary Beth Decker, instructor of EVST 244 Coastal Environments in a Changing World, has a few spots available for EVST students to attend her October break field trip to Cape Cod, October 23-25.  During this trip, you will explore the various coastal ecosystems that are represented on Cape Cod and learn about the many environmental issues of the region including coastal erosion, storm damage, pollution from military activities, nutrient loading from septic systems and renewable energy development.  You will not need to spend any of your own money to participate in this 2-night field trip.  However, you are required to submit a small deposit ($50, check or cash) to hold your place by September 27th - this will be returned to you after the trip.  To sign up for the field trip, please contact Mary Beth Decker marybeth.decker@yale.edu.

DUS Office Hours  Amity Doolittle's fall term office hours will be Tuesdays from 11:00 - 4:00, or alternate times arranged by email.  

Zucker Lecture: Resiliencey in a Warming World This fall EVST is proud to be coordinating the Zucker Lecture, given this year by William K. Reilly, former Administrator of the EPA under President George H. W. Bush.  The lecture will take place on Friday, October 4th at 2:00 in LC 101 - please mark your calendars and join us!  Talk title and additional details coming soon!

Senior Adirondack Trip Mark your calendars seniors - the annual EVST senior trip to the beautiful Adirondacks will take place Nov. 7 - 9 this fall!  We will eat wonderful food, hike and explore the mountains, and learn about the region from experts!  Plan to be there!

Campus Events

Monday, September 23

Don't Buy This! Building Patagonia's Aspirational Brand | Vincent Stanley, Vice President Marketing and Communications & Jill Dumain, Director of Environmental Strategy | 12:00 | Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall | CBEY Colloquium in Sustainability Marketing

Tuesday, September 24

Corporation 2020: Transforming Business for Tomorrow's World | Pavan Sukhdev, Founder and CEO, GIST Advisory | 11:30 | GM Room, 55 Hillhouse | GE Colloquium in Sustainability Leadership

What Happens in the Arctic Doesn't Stay in the Arctic | Fran Ulmer, Chair, US Arctic Research Commision | 6:00 | Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall | For more information, see this site

Hands off Appalachia: The International Financing of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining and Stories of Resistance in Appalachia | 6:00 | Room G-01, Kroon Hall | For more information, see this site

Nepal: A Photographer's Journal 1975-2011 | Yale Himalaya Initiative Seminar 7:00 | Luce Hall

Wednesday, September 25

ScarCities: The Infrapolitics of Water in Mumbai | Nikhil Anand, MESc '04 | 12:00 | Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall

Conservation in Practice: The Science Behind Florida's Environmental Land Acquisition | Gary Knight, 2013 McKluskey Fellow | 3:00 | Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall

Flame and Fortune in California: Spatial History and the Material and Political Dimensions of vulnerability | Gregory Simon, University of Colorado, Denver | 4:00 | Room G-01, Kroon Hall

Thursday, September 26

Behind the Scenes: Confidential Stories of International Negotiations | Jan McAlpine, Director, UN Forum on Forests Secretariat | 12:00 | Marsh Rotunda, Marsh Hall

Innovation and Industrial Ecology: Interface Carpet's Competitive Strategy | Mikhail Davis, Director of Restorative Enterprise | 5:00 | Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall | Annual Lecture Series on Business and Environment: Industrial Ecology as a Source of Competitive Advantage

YCEI Social Science Speaker | Diego Agarita, Co-op Power of New Engladn and Annie Harper, Yale Community Carbon Fund | 5:30 | Room 319, Kroon Hall

Friday, September 27

Sumak Kawsay, Good Living: Visions for Achieving Environmental & Social Justice in Ecuador and the US | Day long conference, register by emailing aaron.greenberg@yale.edu | For Conference Details visit this site

Future Events: Mark Your Calendars!

Resiliencey in a Warming World | William K. Reilly, Former EPA Administrator and 2013 Zucker Fellow | 2:00 | LC 101 | Oct. 4

Yale Food Systems Symposium | Oct. 18 - 19 

Opportunities

YCEI COP Fellows Call For Applications - DUE SEPT 25!  The Yale Climate and Energy Congress (under YCEI) will continue its COP Fellows program this year by supporting 3 undergraduate or graduate students to participate in the 19th session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties in Warsaw, Poland.  Support will consist of a $2,000 travel allowance and will be awarded on a competitive basis.  Interested students can apply by sending a 1-page (maximum) resume along with a 1-page (maximum) statement of intent, which addresses the following questions:

  1. What is the significance of COP 19 (this year’s session) to global climate policy?
  2. Please describe the personal and professional objectives motivating your participation in COP 19?
  3. How will your participation contribute to a tangible result after the Conference?  Are there any deliverables that will come out of your participation?

Applications can be sent to yaleclimatecongress@gmail.com – please use “COP 19 Fellows” as the subject of the email.  Applications must be received by 5pm on Wednesday, 9/25.  Fellows will be notified by 5pm on Friday, 9/27.  Please note that fellows will be considered delegates from the YCEI and Yale University and are expected to act in accordance with the mission of the YCEI and protocols of the University.  COP Fellows will participate in a Q&A with the Yale community upon return.

Environment America Fellowships - Apply by Sept 29th!  Environment America is a federation of 29 state-based groups with nearly 100 professional staff and more than 1 million members, activists and allies across the country.  Each year, we hire graduating seniors with the passion, the commitment and the talent it takes to stand up to polluting industries, fight for a green future and do what it takes to win.  Our Fellowship Program is a two-year crash course in the nuts and bolts of environmental activism, organizing, advocacy and the type of institution-building that can sustain long-term battles.

As a fellow, you’re not just learning how to make an impact; you’re making one. Hear from four fellows about their work tackling tough environmental problems like runaway development and our dependence on coal here.  After two years as a fellow, you’ll have learned the ropes, gained invaluable hands-on experience and you’ll have made a real difference for the environment.  Hear from two former fellows about the work they're doing now and how the Fellowship Program prepared them for it here.  To learn more and apply, visit our website

Yale Student Environmental Coalition Mailing List Invitation YSEC is the umbrella organization for undergraduate environmental groups and student environmentalists.  As a coalition, our work ranges from highly specific group projects to broader coalition-wide initiatives.  Individuals interested in the YSEC newsletter may sign up via this form on our website; they will then receive an automatic follow-up email with instructions on how to confirm and join the mailing list. We encourage anyone and everyone to join us at the Environmental Table for our weekly coalition-wide dinners, every Wednesday, 6:00 PM, in the Branford Pit.

C2C Fellows Workshops: Sustainability Leaders for Politics and Business The Bard Center for Environmental Policy is offering C2C Fellowship workshops to teach the leadership skills necessary to succeed, such as how to: raise money, tell your story, build yoru network, pitch your idea, and know what you are good at.  Graduates of C2C workshops are eligable for partial scholarships to CEP's masters programs in environmental policy, climate science and policy, and sustainable business, as well as scholarships for follow-on leadership trainings.  Applications are accepted on a roling basis up to 2 weeks prior to each workshop.  Weekend trainings cost $30 including food and lodging. Workshops are scheduled for this academic year as follows:

  • Massachusetts (Bently) October 25-27
  • California (Bay Area) November 8-10
  • New York (Bard) February 14-16
  • Florida (Univ of Florida) March
  • Chicago (TBD) April

For more information, visit the C2C website

ISDSI Summer Program The ISDSI summer program offers an excellent introduction to the key issues in the study of sustainability, ecology and culture in Southeast Asia. Focused on the interaction between culture and ecology, the program offers students the opportunity to experience Thai culture firsthand through home stays and direct interaction with local instructors.

The ISDSI summer program integrates challenging experiential field-based course work in the social and natural sciences. A summer at ISDSI will include extended time in rural communities, backpacking between isolated tribal villages, and extended field studies of culture and ecology.  For more information, visit their website.

Tropical Conservation Semester: Galapagos, Andes and Amazon - Applications Due Oct. 4  This academically rigorous learning adventure focuses on field-based instruction in terrestrial ecology, marine biology and conservation biology, and is a great fit for students in biological and environmental sciences.  Students live with host families in Quito and Galapagos, study Spanish, and participate in a month-long internship, deepening their awareness of Latin American culture and conservation in practice.  The semester is run in partnership with the Ceiba Foundation, by experienced faculty with over 30 years of combined experience in tropical ecology and conservation.

The application and other information can be found on the UW - Madison International Academic Programs site.  More information on the Tropical Conservation Semester is available on Ceiba’s website.

UN IHDP Writing Contest - Beyond GDP: Submissions Due Oct 15 Young scholars are invited to write and submit an article for publication in the upcoming issue of the Dimensions magazine.  The edition will contribute to the debate around "Beyond GDP."  For more details, and to read past winners, visit this site.

Columbia Sustainability Management Program - Applications Due Nov 1  The Earth Institute at Columbia University offers sustainability graduate programs geared to working professionals who want to integrate environmental concerns into their organizations. The programs include the Master’s program in Sustainability Management, and the certificate programs in Sustainability Analytics and Sustainable Water Management.  The curricula of these programs blend management, quantitative analysis, and policy with coursework in the physical dimensions of sustainability. The faculty are leading sustainability practitioners and world-class scientists. Classes are offered in the evening and the programs can be taken on a part-time basis.  For more information, visit this site.